Final Battle
by Minna-sama
Summary: Together, they will fight till the death against the Black Mage...no matter what happens. Forgive me. I'm rather horrible at summaries. Read and review please :
1. Chapter 1: New Beginning

Chapter 1 – New Beginning

Ellina, the town of Fairies and Magicians stood towering on a huge tree. Lush green forests and clean streams surrounded it. The blue-haired Bishop stared in awe at the pretty town and started climbing up the vines to get to Grendel the very Old's magic library. She slightly panted as she reached the small wooden door of the library. She rubbed her hands together and took a deep breath as she pushed the door open. She walked inside and let the door slam shut behind her. "Sorry, sorry!" she quickly stammered as she spun around to look at the door, "Didn't know the winds here were so strong." The old magician smiled. "It's okay, child. What brings you here?" Grendel asked in his old, raspy voice. "I just suddenly decided to visit the place I was raised in." the Bishop sighed in relief, seeing that Grendel wasn't annoyed, even the slightest bit, "And I thought…you called for me and some others?" "Ah, yes. You see, I sense something coming. Something..bad." Grendel replied sadly, "I'm afraid…the Black Mage might be invading Maple World very, very soon." "W-what?" she staggered back in shock, "It can't be! The Heroes sealed him up years ago! He's now nothing but history…" "It seems that some of his minions have resurrected him. So just in case something DOES happen, I hope you could stay here for a while to defend us against evil." Grendel shook his head in melancholy as he handed the Bishop a tiny silver pin shaped like an eagle, "Will you…join the fight?" The Bishop looked down at the pin in Grendel's hand and hesitated for a moment. Who knows what could happen if she did. "I-I…" she stuttered as she looked up and saw the old magician's sad face. She clenched her fists and finally nodded, "I promise I won't let you down." She took the pin from Grendel's hand and clipped it onto her Black Bazura. "Thank you for your cooperation, Dinah. Now, we can only hope we win this battle." Grendel nodded back and went back to his work. Dinah stared at the pretty pin on her dress then averted her gaze to her Green Turtle Staff. Without a word, she walked out of the library, flipping her Timeless Cape behind her. No matter what happens, she will fight.

On the other hand, a rather scary-looking, crimson red-eyed Shadower hopped silently from roof to roof of the run-down buildings of Kerning City. He finally stopped as he landed in front of a small, dirty bar. His golden-blond hair and his cape swayed as the wind blew harshly. He spotted stall vendors, thieves and rogues training to become thieves around the town. Kerning City, the town of thieves was a dangerous place to be at when alone. You could easily get robbed or killed in the dark alleyways of the town. But of course, it wasn't the little bit dangerous for Ivan. He quietly walked into the empty bar. The floorboards creaked at every step he took. He crawled through a small hole in a wall and ended up dropping down a few feet from the ceiling into the Dark Lord's hideout. "Ow…I always thought there was a stairway here." Ivan mumbled as he narrowed his red eyes at the Dark Lord and rubbed the back of his head. "Things have changed, Ivan. Very much. It's been years since you've last been here." The thief instructor smirked. "And you haven't moved since we last met." Ivan said, staring up at the ceiling where the Dark Lord hung from by his feet. "Such a child. I'm cursed to be like this, haven't you heard? I don't mind it a single bit." He shot the Shadower a fierce look. Ivan stood at where he was and muttered in bore, "Why did you call me here?" "There's going to be an invasion." "What?" What the Dark Lord had said made Ivan snap into reality. He widened his eyes, both in fear and shock. "Impossible. The Black Mage is dead. He has been dead for years! You must've mistaken." The Shadower argued. "You know nothing! He's back, alright, and he's here, in this world! And if we don't do anything about this, we will all perish!" the Dark Lord raised his voice, to Ivan's surprise. "So…what can I do about it?" he asked softly as he looked at his feet. "Here. Put this on. I'm sure you'd do a huge part if you join the fight." The Dark Lord swiftly flung a small eagle-shaped pin at the Shadower, who caught it in his gloved hand before it could hit him. "Why me?" "Because I know you're cut for it. It was I who raised you after all. I know what you're capable of." "Well, then, I guess I can't say no." Ivan stuffed the pin into his equipment bag and left without saying goodbye. The Dark Lord watched as the Shadower, his once most powerful student, leave the hideout. "I'm sure you won't let my hopes down, Ivan." He smirked as he closed his eyes.

"Has it been 10 years or more?" the short, dark-haired Bowmaster stood before Athena Pierce, the bowman instructor, and quickly gave her a light hug. "I think so. All I know is, it's been a very long time. You've grown." Athena smiled at her student wisely, "You're even taller than me now, Lea." Lea smiled back and ruffled her short black hair. She straightened her red Armis as Athena turned around and started searching for something in a drawer of her desk. She tightened her grip on her Timeless Engaw. "Ah, here it is!" Athena suddenly exclaimed as Lea slightly jumped at her sudden enthusiasm. "H-here is what?" she simply asked. "This," Athena held up the small silver pin in front of Lea and grinned, "Is the proof that you have joined the fight against the Black Mage." "Fight? Black Mage? Quit joking, Athena!" Lea's eyes got bigger as she shook Athena by the shoulders. "Now, calm down, child. This is no joke. An invasion is ahead of us and we must be prepared before it's too late." Athena gently touched her student's hands and removed them from her shoulders, "You're one of the strongest students I've ever had. I have discussed with the other job instructors and they agreed to choose you." "M-me? Really?" Lea clumsily pointed at herself. "Does this really look like a freaking joke to you?" Athena snapped and grabbed Lea's hand. She forcefully placed the pin in it and gave the Bowmaster a soft smile, "Please, Lea. For Maple World." Lea bit her lip and finally took Athena's hand and shook it well. "I'm honoured." Athena nodded and grinned proudly at her student, "You should be."

The young pirate girls crowded around the orange head Corsair, squealing as he winked at them. "And then, I punched him and I…" he stopped in mid-sentence as he saw Kyrin standing before him. "KYRIN!" he purred as he got up and hugged her, "Haha, I missed you so much!" "Douchebag! This is not the time!" Kyrin yelled as she pushed him off her. She gave him a disgusted look and beckoned him to follow her. He obediently followed her into a whale-shaped building, looking like a kicked puppy. "So…what's up?" he playfully hopped around Kyrin's office room and she scowled. "We're about to get our asses kicked by the Black Mage and you're acting like a kid." She palmed her face, cursing under her breath. He stopped what he was doing at once and straightened up. "Repeat that." He said, his voice now in a more serious tone. "You don't know anything!" Kyrin yelled as tears welled up in her green eyes, "If it wasn't for the legendary Heroes, we would all be running away from evil every fucking day of our life like we are going to very soon." "God, speak English. How is it even possible? Are you saying we're going to be facing an invasion of evil?" he growled irritatingly. "Hanson, I have to say yes…" Kyrin wiped the tears that rolled down her cheek with the back of her hand, "And we currently DON'T have the five Heroes with us, so we're fucked. But right now, we're planning to find another five." "You mean…you're choosing ME to be one of the five?" Hanson almost tripped in surprise, "I'm that great?" "Shut up, bastard. Don't be so proud of yourself just yet. Here. Take this and keep it well. If you lose it, you're no more in the fight." Kyrin shook her head and gave him the tiny pin. "Don't worry, I won't." Hanson grinned sheepishly, "This is AWESOME! I-I can't believe it! I've marvelled over the Heroes all my life and now…now I'm one of the chosen! Gee, thanks, Kyrin!" he hugged his job instructor once again and she just stood there, thinking in her mind why the heck she even chose this guy.

Kyle stood on the highest cliff of Perion, town of the fiercest warriors. He looked down from the cliff and saw that it was a long way down. He shrugged and turned around, walking away from the edge of the cliff. He stopped in his tracks when he was about 10 feet away and without hesitating, he charged towards the edge in full speed and jumped. Dances with the Balrog, an experienced warrior instructor heard a knock on his door. "Come in." he said darkly as he heard the door open. Cold winds entered the hut and Kyle quickly shut the door behind him, making them stop almost immediately. "You sent for me and here I am." He said as he gave a small polite bow. "You may rise. And before I start, how are you?" Dances spun around and started inspecting the Paladin. Kyle shivered as he felt his instructor run his dark hands all over his well-built body. "I'm just fine. And how are you? More importantly, why am I needed?" Kyle demanded. "It's quite hard to believe but our lives are at stake. There's going to be a Black Mage invasion very soon." Dances explained sadly. The Paladin tried to hide his shock but failed, "And what has that got to do with me?" "You, my dear boy, have been chosen to join the fight." Dances quickly quipped. "The…fight?" Kyle put on a confused look and glanced at the shiny silver pin in Dances' hand. "Yes. The fight. Just like the five Legendary Heroes. We've already got a Bishop, a Shadower, a Bowmaster and a Corsair. Now, I just need your answer." The job instructor nodded his head, "However, I won't force you into this if you are not interested. It's hard to find someone like you, though." "W-who said I'm not?" Kyle stammered, "I've been waiting for this moment my entire life." He took the pin from his master's hand and shot him a tough smile, "I'm ready for anything."

They have succeeded in choosing the most powerful from each class. Time was running out and the date of the invasion was getting close. The Victoria Island job instructors have prepared their soldiers and Empress Cygnus had prepared her Knights. And when the time has come, they will strive.


	2. Chapter 2: Trip to El Nath

Chapter 2 – Trip to El Nath

_Just for your information:-_

_Dinah  
Job: Bishop  
Age: 15  
Level: 155  
Equipment: Black Bazura, Timeless Aeas _

_Ivan  
Job: Shadower  
Age: 18  
Level: 180  
Equipment: Black Garina, Reverse Pescas _

_Lea  
Job: Bowmaster  
Age: 20  
Level: 160  
Equipment: Red Armis, Timeless Engaw_

_Hanson  
Job: Corsair  
Age: 19  
Level: 173  
Equipment: Canopus Suit, Reverse Blindness_

_Kyle  
Job: Paladin  
Age: 21  
Level: 190  
Equipment: Reverse Taragon, Reverse Executioner_

__The five were ordered by their job instructors to meet at the Six Path Crossway, a little forest in between the five towns. Dinah was being punctual today. She waited nervously for her future 'friends' to arrive. She hoped they wouldn't be scary-looking and fierce. People often teased her for being so timid and tiny. She scoffed at the thought of that. Magicians were _meant _to be tiny. They were powerful too. In your face, suckers!

She snapped out of her silly thoughts as she heard the rustle of a bush. "W-who's there?" she stuttered, gripping onto her staff, "I-I…I can fight!"

The Shadower leapt out of the bush and revealed himself.

"Don't tell me YOU are the Bishop the Dark Lord mentioned." Ivan palmed his face a little and stared at her with a surprised look on his face. "What's wrong with me? Got a problem?" Dinah pouted at him and slightly turned her head away, "Hmph!" What an idiot, underestimating her for no reason.

"And don't tell me YOU are the Shadower Grendel was mentioning!" she suddenly piped up.

"My instructor even said that we have to get along. I hate you already." Ivan mumbled.

"Hey! I heard that!" Dinah yelled back, "As if I'd like you any better." They both scoffed at each other's remarks and turned away, their backs facing each other. Just then, the short-haired, boyish Bowmaster appeared before them. "Hello! You must be Dinah, the pretty-ass Bishop." She waved at the small magician and she blushed.

"Hi. Thank you. You look really cool." Dinah complimented back.

"Haha, gee, thanks, yeah?" Lea winked at her and petted Ivan on the shoulder, "And you must be Ivan the Shadower. Athena said you're really strong."

Ivan gave her a tiny smile and a soft "Thank you." Dinah wanted to vomit at that compliment. Instead of doing so, she walked over to Lea's side and smiled up at the tall archer. "You really do look cool. I want to be like you." She suddenly said, and that surprised Lea a little.

"O-oh, uhmm…really? Thanks! And aren't you the cutest thing ever?" Lea pinched her lovely red cheeks as Dinah smiled broadly.

Ivan let out a disgusted groan and the magician glared at him. Lea spotted both the warrior and the pirate walking towards them, talking as if they were old friends. "Ooh, I'll go greet them first!" she handed her bow to Dinah and motioned to her to hold it.

Dinah grabbed at the bow and as Lea let go of it and ran off, it almost brought her to the ground. "So…heavy!" Dinah whined as she struggled to keep her new good friend's bow from falling. It was so heavy…and huge, it was almost bigger than Dinah herself.

Ivan snorted and chuckled softly as he snatched the bow from the Bishop's hands and held it up against his shoulder as if it weighed nothing.

"Weakling." He muttered.

"Hey! If you've got nothing good to say, then don't say anything!" she snapped as the veins in her head popped.

That guy got some nerve. "If you can't even carry a light bow, how do you suppose you protect the whole world? What was your instructor thinking?" Ivan said lazily.

"I-I can! You underestimate me! I'm stronger than you think!" she quickly quipped.

"And you expect me to believe that."

"Shut up."

Dinah looked up and saw Lea smiling at the Paladin and Corsair. Both of them looked strong and well-built.

"OMG how cute!" the Corsair exclaimed as he ran towards Dinah and gave her a loose hug. Dinah, shocked, could smell burnt gunpowder on him but she found it rather nice. "Ermm…hello." She quietly said as he pulled away swiftly and grabbed her hand to shake it. "You must be the Bishop Kyrin was talking about!" he excitedly shook her hand roughly, "You're prettier than what she mentioned, though. I'm Hanson. I'm sure we'll get along very well!" Dinah giggled at his ridiculousness and nodded, "Nice to meet you. Dinah."

She smiled sweetly. Ivan rolled his eyes and switched his gaze on something else.

"Hey, Kyle! We got a pretty one over here." Hanson grinned widely.

The Paladin pushed past him and leaned down to kiss Dinah's hand. "Forgive me. He's really a playboy bastard." Dinah's face turned a light shade of pink as she giggled, "You all are so cool! I'm so jealous."

"Cool? She keeps saying we're cool." Lea laughed as she patted Dinah on the head, "We're all equal, y'know. You don't need to look down on yourself."

Ivan watched silently as the three praised the girl he hated almost immediately after they met. He shook his head in disgust and interrupted them, "Shouldn't we like…get going?"

"Ah, yes. Oh, I forgot to introduce myself." Kyle nodded politely and shook Ivan's hand, "I'm Kyle. You must be the Shadower. Ivan, right? Hi." Ivan smirked back, "Pleasure to meet you." They chatted for a few minutes while Hanson marvelled over the Bishop. Finally, they decided to make their way to their training hall in El Nath.

"Kyrin told me that my partner would be Lea. That means we must work together." Hanson suddenly piped up. Lea smiled, "Athena told me the same thing. I'm sure we would get along well."

"Yeah." The Corsair grinned back.

"Oh, yeah, speaking of partners…who's yours, Dinah?" Kyle gently asked her before flashing her a warm smile. The Bishop felt her face get warm. "Oh…uhmm…uhmm…this asshole." She said quietly, pointing at Ivan.

"WHAT? You must be joking! How do you suppose I take care of her?" Ivan widened his eyes in horror as she stomped on his foot. "Be quiet! It's not like I like it…" she yelled.

The four immediately hopped towards the station, climbing vines and jumping vigorously. Dinah followed close behind, clutching her staff and bunching up the ends of her Black Bazura in her hands. Even though they were knee-length and short as they could be. She didn't have the stamina like the others did and she slowly hopped up the platforms. Her height affected her speed as well. She was about a head shorter than everyone else.

As the others reached the station platform, Kyle grabbed the Bishop's small gloved hand and gave it a small squeeze, "Come on. I bet they're waiting for us already." "Y-yeah. S-sorry for slowing you guys down." She looked down, embarrassed.

"It's okay. No one's blaming you."

Dinah gave him a small smile. "How I wish Dances assigned you as my partner." He returned her smile and pulled her up onto the last platform.

"Thank you." She said, nodding appreciatively.

"My pleasure." He winked as they walked towards the rest. Lea flashed Dinah a smile and she turned red again.

Lea was like…the best older sister anyone could ever have. Cool, nice and awesome. As they boarded the ship, Ivan scowled at his partner, "You're so slow."

"Got a problem with that?"

"I'm older than you and I'm your partner, so don't answer back."

Dinah pouted slightly and sighed quietly, "Okay…sorry."

Ivan widened his eyes in surprise at her sudden change of attitude but shrugged it off. They sat at the side of the ship as they chatted. Lea was already getting along very well with Hanson. They actually looked cute together. They were having peace of mind until the whole ship shook violently and people screamed hysterically.

"I think we're being attacked by Balrogs!" Lea shouted, "Me and Hanson will try bringing the people to safety! Kyle, go guard the back! And Dinah and Ivan, hold them back at the front!" She made such a good leader. They nodded and ran around the ship.

"You better be able to fight." Ivan muttered as Dinah shivered at the sight of the scary Balrog.

"O-okay…" she squeaked timidly.

The monster closed up onto them and Ivan jumped into the air, sending multiple attacks at it. It groaned and charged towards Dinah, she shot holy arrows at it which made it stagger back and die off.

"Not bad." Ivan complimented.

"Huh?" she was caught by surprise and reached up to smoothen her hair before the next Balrog attacked her.

Again, Ivan began slashing it with his claw as it fell back and died. Very soon, they were surrounded by five or six monsters. "We're fucked…" Ivan cursed as he stood back to back with Dinah. "D-don't say that. It isn't very encouraging…" she stammered. "It wasn't meant to be." They charged towards the monsters as they attacked continuously. Ivan took down three Balrogs with huge difficulty as he heard Dinah cry out. "Dinah!" he spun around quickly and saw her clutching her arm tightly.

Blood trickled down her arm slowly as she cringed in pain. She continued attacking the Balrog, killing it with a few arrows. "Genesis!" she yelled as Ivan wondered what the hell she was doing.

All of a sudden, rays of holy light shone down from the sky, blinding and burning the monsters. They quickly died away. They both stood there in silence, panting for a moment before Dinah swayed on her feet, threatening to drop onto the wooden floor.

"Dinah!" Ivan quickly caught her and gently lay her down onto the floor. She fluttered her eyelids and winced as Ivan touched her wound.

"Don't! Touch!" she shouted at him and sighed as she leaned against the wall of the ship, "A-are you hurt?"

"Y-yeah. Just a bit." He said, pointing at the slash on his side.

"Oh, my…" Dinah suddenly got up and forgot about her injury, "It looks horrible." She poked his side and he yelped in pain. "Does it hurt?" she asked solemnly.

"Of course it does, idiot!" he smacked her hand away gently.

"I'm sorry. Here…" she apologized as she placed her small hands on his side and begin focusing hard. "W-what?" Ivan sat there in shock as the wound begin to stitch itself and close up. She fell back after healing him.

"What's wrong now?" he asked.

"Lack of mana…I'm just tired…other than that, I'm fine…" she squeaked weakly.

"You don't look fine to me. Here." He handed her a bottle of blue elixir. "Thanks…" she took it and gulped it down. "A-and…uhh…t-thanks for healing me." Ivan scratched his head and nodded. This was awkward, both of them being so nice to each other. "It's fine…" she shook her head and blacked out.

"Are you okay, Mister?" Lea gasped as she lifted a badly injured man and walked towards the ship's cabin. "I-I don't think I can make it…just…leave me here." The man wheezed, "Save my wife and children…"

"Hanson! COME HERE!" Lea shrieked as the worry-stricken Corsair came running towards her.

"What is it? What's wrong?" he quickly asked.

"Carry him to the cabin. We've got everyone gathered already. This is when we need Dinah the most. I'll go get her." She ordered as Kyle came running towards them.

"Coast is clear already." He reported. "Good. I'll go get Dinah and Ivan. You two aid the people first." The men nodded as Lea rushed off.

"Dinah! We need you to…God, are you okay?" Lea stopped in her tracks as she stared at the unconscious Dinah in Ivan's arms. "She passed out after killing off many Balrogs and healing me." He muttered, "Stupid girl. She doesn't even care about herself but others."

"That's what Bishops do, Ivan. You must understand, they risk their lives for others to live, you know." Lea shot him a hard stare as she made him follow her to the cabin. Ivan gently put her down against the cabin wall and panted. He was also surprised at how incredibly light she was.

"What happened to Dinah?" Kyle quickly snapped as he knelt down beside the Bishop and held her hand.

"She fell unconscious. It seemed she healed Ivan and killed many monsters. She must be really exhausted." Lea explained as she herself sat down. Hanson was too busy aiding the other people to notice that. Dinah's eyes fluttered open slightly.

"Dinah, you feeling better?" Ivan asked her softly. "Y-yes…" she squinted and suddenly sat up, "Oh my…look at all these injured people! I can't bear to see them like this." She struggled to get up to heal them.

"Wait! You shouldn't! You're seriously injured, you know!" Lea pleaded.

"I'm fine already. Let…me heal…them." She grabbed her own wound and staggered towards the people.

Ivan stared at his partner. He secretly hurt to see her caring so much for others but not for herself. Again, Lea reminded him, "Don't be so awed, Ivan. Bishops are like that. And they're usually the ones who die first…" she whispered softly but he heard her. He softly replied "But…I don't want her to…" _  
_


	3. Chapter 3: Town of Snow

Chapter 3 – Town of Snow

The ship gently bobbed up and down at the edge of the Orbis station. The five quickly scurried out of it, stretching and yawning. Their muscles ached from fighting and their butts felt flat from sitting down too long.

"It's so pretty here!" Dinah gasped as she ran away from the station and into the huge town. Fairies and pixies were seen flying everywhere with their tiny wings, carrying boxes and weapons. The whole place seemed so bright and clean. She slid her feet over the shiny pebbled ground.

Lea appeared shortly after. "Pretty, isn't it?" she smiled as Dinah spun around and let her Bazura dress slightly float as she did.

"Very! I've never been here before. I spent all of my time training in Ludibrium."

"I've only been here once. Like you, I preferred staying put at Mu Lung than travelling."

Dinah widened her eyes at the Bowmaster, "Really?"

Lea nodded and sighed happily as she saw the three guys walking towards them. It didn't seem like something new and surprising to Kyle. Maybe he travelled a lot. The flirty Corsair kept his eye on pretty fairies that passed by and occasionally winked at them. It was Ivan who stared marvellously at the cute pointy-roofed huts and the people there.

As Lea marched towards a stall vendor to ask her about the place, Dinah found herself walking towards the awe-stricken Shadower. "Don't tell me you've never seen a place like this before."

"I've never seen a place like this before."

The Bishop sighed and quickly exclaimed, immediately changing the topic, "It's beautiful, don't you think?"

"Yeah." Ivan mumbled quietly.

"Wow, such enthusiasm." Dinah said sarcastically and walked towards a cute fairy selling potions to re-pot.

"Hey, guys! Don't get yourselves too comfortable with the place. Remember, this isn't where we're going to stay. We're going to El Nath." Lea yelled at them from the tiny stall she was at. Everyone nodded sheepishly. Hanson felt slightly disappointed. "I wonder if there are pretty girls there." He nodded before getting whacked in the head by an annoyed Kyle.

"Okay. That kind vendor over there gave me this handy map." Lea smiled as she unfolded the map she had in her hands, "Here we are. And here's our destination…" she pointed a finger at a spot labelled 'Orbis Town' and drew an imaginary route with it to 'El Nath'. It looked near…on the map, that is.

"And…how do we get there?" Kyle asked lazily before yawning.

"There's some tower…ermm…somewhere. According to her," Lea pointed at the vendor she had talked to earlier, who was now busy sorting out some potions, "We have to climb down that tower. Fortunately for us, the tower is just nearby. But also, unfortunately, it has twenty floors."

The rest groaned as Lea tried to calm them down by hushing them. It didn't seem to be working.

"Twenty floors? Can someone CARRY me down?" Dinah whined as Ivan smacked the back of her head.

"Don't be silly. That'll be unfair for others." He snapped.

"Then why don't you carry everyone?"

"Guys! Guys! It's okay. We're in this together, right?" Lea forced a smile and rubbed her head, feeling a little bit depressed.

"I can carry you!" Hanson quickly offered as he hasted to Dinah's side and grinned, much to everyone's disgust.

"So…now, we're heading…oh, let's see…there." Lea pointed to her right and marched ahead, "Be quick guys. I'm getting tired and I can't wait to get into an inn and sleep."

"You lazy pig." Kyle palmed his face, running ahead to catch up with the Bowmaster.

"10th….floor…OMG!" Hanson cried out as he leaned against a fallen marble pillar, "10 more floors!"

"Quit complaining, Hanson." Lea tiredly snapped between pants.

They were only halfway down the tower and they felt like collapsing to the ground. Their journey was slightly interrupted by some robot-looking monsters that they killed easily. The four turned around in the split second they heard Dinah yell.

She had stepped on a badly cracked platform and it crumbled into pieces to the ground. She yelped as she hopped off the crumbling platform and landed softly on her feet. "Whoops."

"You scared the hell out of me, Dinah." Lea sighed as she continued hopping downwards.

"I-I'm sorry."

"It's fine."

After what seemed like HOURS, they finally reached the bottom of the tower and Lea kicked the tower door open with her heavy booted feet. Almost immediately, snow rushed in at them and the surprised Bowmaster closed the door again. "Put on your capes." She commanded.

Kyle giggled at the sight of her shock. He found it to be rather…amusing.

They slipped on their capes and braced themselves for the cold. As they stepped outside, their feet sunk about 5 inches in the thick, freezing snow. It wasn't a problem for them, though, as they were wearing high boots. Dinah jumped at the feeling of the snow covering her ankles. "Damn it…" she curse softly as she kept hopping up and down. She was wearing mere Varr shoes that barely covered her ankles.

Without hesitation, Ivan scooped her up and trudged along behind the others. "W-what are you doing?" Dinah hissed as she felt the warmness of Ivan's body heating her up.

"Are you stupid? You could get frostbitten." He simply muttered as he continued walking.

"O-okay."

"Ahh, finally, here we are!" Lea exclaimed cheerfully as she pointed at a huge castle-like building in the heart of El Nath.

"That's our own training hall? And inn?" Kyle widened his eyes, "It looks…nice! Oh wait, where's Hanson?" his eyes wandered off into the distance, only to see Hanson flirting with a rather pretty woman who seemed very uninterested in him. "Sheesh, that guy…" the warrior shook his head as he stomped off towards his friend to give him an earful.

"Let's go in, shall we?" Lea smiled as she led Ivan and Dinah inside. He slowly put her down as they entered the warm, comfy training hall. It was made up of wooden floors, wooden walls and a wooden ceiling. There were punching bags lying scattered on the floor, dummies with targets on them and dangerous looking weapons.

"OOOH!" Dinah suddenly squealed, making Ivan jump back a little bit. Lea grinned at the Bishop, knowing that she would love it.

"And our rooms are upstairs, I guess?" Ivan said softly as he glanced at the wooden stairs at the side of the huge training hall.

Lea nodded and grabbed his hand, "Come on, let's go check it out! Dinah, you stay here, okay?"

"Okay!" Dinah shouted back as she ran around exploring the hall.

"The rooms are not as beautiful as I have imagined but they're okay." Lea shrugged, rather disappointed and looked over at Ivan. He stared at the bed, the tiny cupboard and a window of a room.

"It's fine, in my opinion." He replied after a long pause.

He sat on the small bed and ruffled his golden hair as he sighed, "I'm exhausted."

Lea slowly made her way towards his sitting figure on the bed and leaned closer to him. "And so am I." she whispered as she attempted to put her hands on his shoulders. He swiftly slapped her hands away.

"I'm going down to see Dinah."

"B-but…"

"Bye."

Lea slightly clenched her fists as she played back her failure. "I-I…forget it." She said to herself as she walked towards another room to set down her stuff.

"Dinah, don't touch that, stupid!" Ivan raised his voice as she spun around in surprise, "Are you trying to kill yourself or what?"

Dinah, who had been trying to lift a huge, heavily decorated, dangerous-looking katara, snorted, "I could've done it myself." She pouted as Ivan held it up in front of her so she could have a look at it. He laughed lightly as he dropped it. It made a loud _clang _as it came into contact with the floor. "Why are you so interested in these?" he suddenly asked.

"Huh?"

"You're a magician. That would suit you better." Ivan pointed at a Green Dragon Staff poking out of a bunch of sharp weapons.

"Oh, I didn't see it there."

"You're blind."

"Shut up!" Dinah kicked him in the knee as her attention shifted to the beautiful staff. "I-I can't use it yet." She mumbled as she ran her small fingers over the green orb of the staff, "It requires high level."

Ivan snickered as he walked towards her again, "Well, then, too bad." "Just shut it!" the Bishop yelled again as she attempted to kick his other knee. He grabbed hold of her small wrists and tightened his grip on them. He let go when he heard her soft scream.

"Oww!" Dinah clasped her red wrists as she rubbed them furiously, "It really hurts…"

"Sorry." Ivan shrugged as he patted her wrists, "Didn't know I was that strong. Goodbye." He waved as he turned his back on her and walked up the stairs.

She glared at the Shadower and simply muttered, "Stupid."

Kyle entered the training hall with an irritated Hanson under his arm. He nodded to himself at how majestic the place looked while the Corsair continued cursing. "Sweet!" the warrior praised before whistling.

"I'm not even in the mood of training. I'm going to sleep." Hanson grumbled as he walked further away from Kyle, who stood there, grinning.

"Oh, wait…where are the rooms?" he spun around, rubbing the back of his head, embarrassed. Kyle pointed his finger towards the ceiling and Hanson automatically knew he meant 'upstairs'. He slowly half-climbed-half-crawled up the stairs in exhaustion.

Night had come and there was a new exciting day ahead of them. The last of the hall lights went off as they turned in for the night.

_OMG I can't believe I made so many mistakes! I am so, so, so very sorry. I'm kinda new to this and yeah…_

_ ImagineDragon  
Thanks for pointing that out I realized that too and I have made some changes to it. I hope it's easier to read now. _

_ Hi  
I am so terribly sorry. I feel kinda embarrassed now. I've never created a thief…let alone a Shadower on Maplestory before so I was completely clueless on the weapons they use. There, I've changed it! Thank you for telling. _


	4. Chapter 4: Lea

Chapter 4 – Lea

The town was still clad in darkness. The Bowmaster sat up in her bed and looked at her watch. 4 in the morning. She slipped out of her pyjamas and into her Red Armis. She grabbed her bow that was lying against the wall and quietly crept out of her room, hoping that the rest wouldn't hear her. She tip-toed down the stairs and creaked open the huge door of the training hall. As soon as she stepped out of the hall, she felt snow falling from the sky onto her head.

She trudged through the thick snow and looked around the town. The streets were completely deserted and shops were closed down. She guessed it was too early for sane people to be walking around. She made her way to the end of the town and looked over her shoulders as she walked. The view of the cheerful village began to disappear as she walked through a plantation of tall pine trees.

It was very dark, almost pitch black. The only light Lea could see was that of the moon in the sky. She started to regret on what she was doing when she suddenly found herself lost in the snowy forest. It was a little too late for that. She would just have to continue walking.

She had always wanted to get her very own Zakum helmet. She couldn't believe she was already level 160 and she didn't own one. She had been very excited when Athena told her they were to train at El Nath. She had planned to boss Zakum from the very beginning. There was no turning back now.

"Now, I'll just have to find the entrance of the Dead Mine." She said to herself, trying to hide her terror and fear inside. She walked a few steps ahead and stopped again. "It's impossible. I can barely see anything." She sighed.

She continued walking, slowly and carefully, just so she won't fall into a hole or something. She suddenly walked into a huge wooden signboard. "Oww…" the faded light of the moon allowed her to read the words on the signboard. 'Dead Mine Ahead'. "Am I lucky or what?" Lea grinned to herself as she walked forward.

After a few minutes, she reached a towering slab of stone, which she guessed it was the mine. There was an elderly man in thick robes standing at the entrance. "Hey, Miss! What are you doing here? It's extremely dangerous for someone like you to be here at a time like this." He shouted at her in a raspy voice.

Lea just walked towards him and smiled sweetly. "I can take care of myself. I'm an experienced Bowmaster and Athena sent me here on a quest." She explained.

"Why should I believe you?" the man scoffed.

Lea showed him the silver eagle-shaped pin on her Armis. The man stared at it in shock for a while and finally grumbled and let her in.

"Be careful."

"I will. Thank you, kind Sir."

She walked into the vast mine, careful with each step she took. She looked up and saw that there were many platforms above her head, each occupied with white and brown yetis. "This is going to be a piece of cake." The Bowmaster smirked as she leapt on a platform, killing some yetis instantly.

She continued her journey without wasting much time. She was determined on getting her helmet as soon as possible and to return before the others woke up. She didn't want them getting all worried because of her. Then again, she could've asked them to tag along and boss with her.

The monsters got stronger and harder to kill as she got deeper into the mine. "Oh, well. They're no match for me." Lea shrugged to herself and continued slaying through the annoying zombies that blocked her path. _How pathetic, _she thought as she killed three miner zombies with a single arrow. The heat of the lava around her made her sweat heavily.

"I'm just going to finish this off and go back to the training hall. No one will notice anything." She said to herself again as she stopped walking and stood before Zakum's Altar.

"Hopefully."

* * *

Dinah yawned and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes as she sat up in her bed. "Good morning, myself." She said ridiculously as she attempted to stand up.

She looked down at her snuggly blanket sprawled over her super-comfortable-looking bed. "Oh, man." She shook her head lazily as she fell back onto the bed, "Looks to comfy to leave."

She lay down, staring at the ceiling, her head full of thoughts. She suddenly thought about Lea, her idol. "Maybe I should go and call her up."

Dinah stood up again and ruffled her long blue hair. She tied it up into a neat ponytail that swept against her waist. She slowly walked out of her room and made her way to the Bowmaster's room.

_Knock knock._

"Lea? Are you in there?" the Bishop squeaked as she pushed open Lea's room door. She was shocked to see that the room was empty and the bed was neatly made.

"She must be downstairs training." Someone muttered.

Dinah spun around at the sound of the voice before letting out a small scream. "W-what are you doing here? Stupid! I could've died of a heart attack."

The Shadower simply sighed and shook his head, "Be more alert next time." before walking downstairs.

"Stupid." The Bishop repeated as she skipped into her room to get ready for the day. She slipped into her Bazura dress and Varr shoes, slung her potion bag across her shoulder and grabbed her staff before skipping out again.

She was about to get out of the hall when Ivan shouted.

"Where the hell are you going this time of the day?"

"Out." She simply mumbled. He was such a hindrance.

"I definitely won't allow that. What makes you think you could protect yourself if someone suddenly attacks you?" Ivan narrowed his eyes at the Bishop.

"Don't be so nosy. I can take care of myself."

"Don't-"

Before he could finish his sentence, the stubborn magician had slipped out of the training hall.

"-Go too far."

* * *

Dinah walked through the thick snow with all her effort. Her unprotected feet were freezing and she knew she would get frostbitten if she kept this up. But, whatever, she had to find Lea. She might be in trouble.

"LEA! LEA! It's me, Dinah!" she occasionally shouted as she trudged pass the dead pine trees. Cute little Junior Yetis hopped around her feet as she walked. Most adventurers would've killed them, though the Bishop had no intention to.

She walked further and one by one, the tiny Yetis began to leave. She walked some more for an hour or so and finally came to the entrance of what seemed like a mine. She looked down at her feet and spotted a cute white Yeti hopping around them.

"Why, are you lost?" she asked sweetly, knowing that she wouldn't be getting an answer.

She scooped the Yeti up in her arms as it purred and snuggled against her. How cute! "I guess…I can bring you along. You're warm." Dinah giggled as she walked towards an old bearded man standing at the entrance.

"Excuse me, Sir. May I enter?" she asked politely.

"I'm sorry, Miss. I don't think the likes of you would be able to survive in there."

Dinah felt slightly annoyed at the man's simple comment.

"For your information, I'm a skilled Bishop-" it was no use fighting, "Grendel sent me here."

"Grendel? Are you sure?" the man raised his eyebrows in what seemed like disbelief. Dinah held up her silver pin in front of his wrinkled face.

"Okay, good enough." He muttered as he let her in. She heard the sound of the large doors closing behind her as she stepped into the mine. The Yeti in her arms trembled slightly at the sight of other bigger Yetis.

"Hush…don't be afraid. I can slay them easily." Dinah patted its head as she leapt up onto a platform. She set the her new pet down on the ground and raised her staff. Almost immediately, majestic golden light shone from the sky and killed all the monsters at once.

"Let's go." She whispered, picking up her pet, "Oh, and I'll name you Sam!" she changed her voice to a more cheerful tone.

"Let's go, Sam!"

* * *

Lea quickly jumped away from the Zakum as it attempted to hit her. "Nice try." She muttered as she leapt into the air and shot more arrows at it. The monster groaned loudly as one of its many arms flung out to hit the Bowmaster. Lea, caught by surprise, dropped to the ground in pain.

Though she didn't show it, the pain weakened the Bowmaster gasped as the Zakum brought up another hand to hit her. She quickly rolled over as its stone-hard hand landed with a loud _thump _on the ground beside her, creating a mini crater.

"That was a close one." She wiped the sweat off her forehead as she mumbled. She continued sending blows to the monster. After destroying all of its arms, Lea stared hard at the monster's creepy arm-less body.

"Shit…no more mana." She cursed as she jumped to hide behind a stone pillar. She fumbled her equipment bag, hoping to find a mana potion. No luck. She remembered she had used up all of her potions the day before.

Now, she could just silently pray that someone would come find and rescue her.

Dinah clasped her bruised side. She had been attacked by a bunch of disgusting-looking zombies. Though they didn't wield any weapons, they had the strength of an elephant. She limped slowly towards a tree and climbed it with much difficulty.

It was hard to climb up the tree with Sam and her staff in her arms. And also her heavy bag. As she was halfway up the tree, she slid down. She turned around and saw the zombies closing in on her. She let out a helpless squeal and waited for the pain to come.

It didn't.

She opened her eyes and saw a dark cloaked figure standing in front of her. With a swing of its mighty sword, the zombies died off. "What are you doing here?"

From his voice, Dinah could tell it was a guy. "I-I…I'm looking for a friend." She squeaked.

"Someone like you shouldn't be here."

"But…"

At the corner of her eye, Dinah could see more zombies limping towards them, drool hanging out of the corners of their rotten mouths. "Quick! The safest is up." The cloaked guy mumbled as he scooped the Bishop in his arms and hopped onto a tree branch.

He put Dinah down immediately after landing on the branch of the tree. He removed the hood of his cloak, revealing a rather…attractive face. The Bishop widened her eyes in surprise. She expected him to be an old man of some sort.

He seemed to be around her age and had dark red hair and green eyes. "I-I…thank you for saving me." She stammered after a long pause.

"Pfft saving you? I was just passing by. Why would I bother saving you?" He snorted.

"Okay, whatever. Thanks anyway." Dinah grunted and thought about how similar this guy was with Ivan; A complete asshole.

Déjà vu.

"Okay, see you around then. Or not." He leapt off the tree branch and continued walking the direction he was headed.

"Hey! I can't get down!" Dinah shouted at him, annoyed. She looked down and gulped. It was…high.

"The name's Ryan." The guy shouted as a reply without turning around.

"No one asked!"

Sam struggled slightly in her arms and she had to keep him quiet. "Sam! Quit fidgeting or we'll never get down." She whined. She finally made her descision and jumped off the branch, landing face first on the hard ground.

"Oww…"

The Yeti waddled towards her and licked her face. Dinah gave it a painful smile before burying her face into the ground again, groaning.

* * *

Lea sat behind the pillar helplessly, hoping that the Zakum wouldn't notice her. She didn't want to die so early! It was only the beginning of her journey. She peeked over her shoulders when she heard a loud crash.

"DINAH!" she screamed as she saw the blue-haired Bishop looking around, also horrified seeing the Zakum. "Lea?" she yelled back.

"Dinah! Come here!" Lea gasped as she beckoned Dinah to come to her. The Bishop obediently ran towards the pillar and sat down next to her friend.

"Glad you're okay." Dinah sighed.

"Yeah, thanks. I-I'm out of mana."

"What?"

"No more potions. I forgot to re-pot before leaving this morning."

"Oh, yeah! Why did you-" Dinah complained angrily.

"I'll explain later! Now let's finish off this Zakum and go back!"

"Okay…"

The Bishop healed her friend and handed her a few bottles of mana elixir. That should be enough for her. Together, they charged towards the almost-dead boss and fought tirelessly. With a final blow, it let out one last moan as it died.

Various potions and weapons were dropped. Dinah marvelled at the rare drops, a huge smile painted on her face.

"Fantastic!" she cupped her cheeks as she hopped around the drops.

Lea spotted a brown helmet lying among the various drops. She widened her eyes in excitement and ran towards it to pick it up. Indeed, it was the helmet she'd always yearned for. She pumped her fist in the air as a sign of 'victory!'.

Dinah giggled and walked over to her friend. "This is why you came all the way here?"

"Yeah." The Bowmaster grinned as she placed the helmet on her head. "I feel stronger!"

"Level 100?"

"Yep. What time is it?"

"9."

"Let's go back, okay?"

"Okay!"

They made their way back to town. Dinah stopped by potion shops and pet shops to re-pot and get food for her Yeti occasionally. "That's cute." Lea mumbled. In fact, she hated cute things.

"Thank you." Dinah, clueless about her friend's lack of interest, smiled back.

They walked into the training hall and immediately dropped onto the hay-covered ground. "An adventure, isn't it?" Lea smiled as she turned to her friend.

Dinah giggled and smiled back. "Yeah."


	5. Chapter 5: To Ludibrium: Town of Toys!

Chapter 5 – To Ludibrium: Town of Toys!

"OMG where have you been, partner?" Hanson gasped as he watched Lea and Dinah walking towards him and his friends. He ran over to hug Lea. She let out a disgusted groan.

"Nowhere in particular." The Bowmaster sighed as she shook him off. She turned to Dinah.

Dinah just walked over to the side of the hall and sat down against a wall. She seemed to be in a daze. Sam struggled and whined in her arms. Its fur was making its master itchy.

"Let's get you cleaned up, for God's sake!" Hanson flailed his arms in the air dramatically and dragged the exhausted Lea up the stairs.

"I can walk by myself, idiot!" Lea hit the Corsair on the head as he whined. _How childish, _she thought in her head and palmed her face. The two disappeared up the stairs.

Kyle stared at Dinah for a while then turned away. "Get better soon." He said softly as he left the hall, probably going out to buy some potions. Dinah nodded though she knew no one noticed. She sighed, tired and stroked Sam's fur.

"Stupid. Don't tell me you went out the whole morning just to buy this stupid pet." Ivan muttered in disgust as he sat down next to the Bishop and glared at the Yeti. It seemed to glare back.

"Don't make silly assumptions. I was out the whole morning because I was helping Lea get a Zakum helmet." Dinah snapped.

"Zakum helmet? You guys went all the way into the mines?"

"Yeah. Got a problem?"

The Shadower sighed and shook his head. He looked at Dinah's Yeti again. He actually secretly liked it. "And how much was this?" he pointed at it.

"I didn't BUY it. I found it along the way." She snorted and continued stroking it.

Ivan immediately slid away from the Bishop and her pet and yelled, "Are you crazy? It might have rabies!"

Dinah raised her eyebrows, slightly shocked at his sudden outburst. "Ermm…dumbass! Of course it doesn't have rabies! Does it LOOK sick to you?" she yelled back, annoyed. Ivan slowly slid back to his original place and grunted.

"And don't ask any more dumb questions or I'll ask it to bite you. Then, YOU'LL have rabies." She warned, rather childishly. Ivan smirked as the Bishop put the Yeti on the floor and ruffled her hair.

"Stay here, Sam. I'll be right back."

"Sam? What kind of pet name is that?"

"Just…SHUT UP!"

* * *

Lea sat on her bed and put on the Zakum helmet she was holding in her hands. She glanced at a wall mirror and smirked. _Yay!_

Hanson stood at the door and grumbled. "Why wear that piece of shit? It doesn't make you look pretty." Lea switched her gaze to the door and snapped back at him.

"Who cares? It makes me feel stronger and I look cool like this. And I don't want to look pretty."

"I care!" Hanson whined as he sat next to his partner on the bed and hugged her, "You must!" Lea pulled away from him and hit him again.

"You perverted bastard!"

"But…that's just how I am!"

"I don't care. You better change before I get really irritated."

"Ngaww…"

* * *

"So…Ludibrium?" Kyle lifted an eyebrow in un-enthusiasm. "Didn't we like…just get here?" Lea turned to look at the warrior and found his statement reasonable

"Yeah." She simply nodded in agreement, "But we need to go there for bossing. Got a letter from Athena this morning and she said it's an order."

Before anyone could debate further, Dinah piped up cheerily, "YAY! LUDI! I love Ludi! I spent almost my whole life there! I miss it al-"

Ivan palmed his face in annoyance. "This isn't time for storytelling, birdbrain. We're discussing important matters here." He waved a hand in front of her face to prove his point. The Bishop pouted and folded her arms, keeping quiet at once.

"It's not really that important. We'll come back here once we're done bossing." Lea shrugged.

"Y-you mean…we have to climb up and down another 20 floors? No way!" Hanson quickly burst out in shock. "I won't be able to survive! I shall die! You all shall go on without me!"

"Stop being so dramatic." Kyle smacked him on the head, "When do we leave?" he asked the Bowmaster.

"About now. First, pack all of your things and make sure you're all fully potted and well."

* * *

The five quickly packed their things. Their equipment bags were full as ever as they made sure they packed every single potion bottle they had. Potions at Ludibrium were really expensive and they didn't want to waste their mesos.

"I can't believe you spent almost your whole life there." Kyle told Dinah as they walked towards the Orbis tower.

"And why is it so hard to believe?"

"Everything there is so…overpriced."

"Really? Never realised."

Lea quickly cut in. "Are you rich or something? Are your parents like…doctors or job instructors?" she raised her eyebrows as Dinah gave her the silent treatment for a few seconds.

"I-I have no parents." She finally whispered quietly, trying not to think too much about it or she might cry.

"Oh…I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to-"

"It's fine." The Bishop squeaked before Lea could finish her sentence. The Bowmaster nodded in silence, feeling guilty for bringing up a topic her friend despised.

"Oh, and I'm not rich. I get my potions from monster drops. Sometimes, I even steal them from the shops." Dinah said cheerily between giggles.

"You STEAL?" Kyle widened his eyes. Who knew someone like her was capable of _stealing _stuff. She seemed too timid to do so.

"Ah, but of course." She scratched her head, "I always get caught. I only got away once…or twice. I think. I don't remember."

"Stupid. Only thieves are capable of stealing stuff. You're just a mere magician." Ivan mumbled offensively.

"That was insulting." She folded her arms.

"It was meant to be."

The five stopped at the foot of the tower. Hanson looked up. It was indeed very high. So high that it penetrated through the thick clouds and mist above. He gulped as Lea patted his shoulder and laughed. "What's so funny?" the Corsair grumbled.

"No need to worry about climbing." She said.

"What do you mean? Of course I'm worried. In fact, I'm sooooo worried."

Lea unbuckled her bag which was full of potions, elixirs and water bottles. She stuffed her hand inside and began feeling for something. The rest looked at her in an awkward manner as if she were an experimental alien.

She pulled her hand out of the bag. She was holding tightly onto a crumpled scroll. "Here it is!"

"Dahell's that?" Hanson leaned away from the scroll and tightened his grip on his gun, finger on the trigger.

"Oh, come on. As if a mere SCROLL could hurt you." Lea rolled her eyes at the pathetic pirate and turned back to the others. "This is an Orbis Tower scroll. I bought it from a stall vendor that day when I was out."

"When you were out without informing us!" Dinah quickly reminded, placing her hands on her hips.

"Okay, whatever." Lea sighed guiltily, "We can use this scroll to get to the top of the tower immediately. Yes, no climbing, Hanson." She said as the Corsair heaved a sigh of relief.

"Phew. Thanks for putting in a tiny bit of effort to find this scroll." Hanson grinned as the Bowmaster elbowed him roughly in the chest.

"Stay close." Lea ordered as her friends crowded around her. She started mumbling something and there was a flash of bright light. After a few seconds, it was gone. And they were standing in the middle of the town of Orbis.

"Yay, it worked!" Dinah cheered as she stretched her arms. "I feel slightly dizzy though."

"You weakling ass." Ivan said gruffly as they walked to the Orbis station. Dinah looked around her, already missing the puffy white clouds and the peaceful environment of the town. She wondered when they would be back.

"Tickets, please." A lady dressed in a white suit, probably the ride attendant, repeated politely to all of the passengers getting on board the ship to Ludibrium.

Dinah was the last to go. The lady quickly put her arm in front of the Bishop and shook her head. "I'm sorry, Miss. The ship is full. You'll have to wait for the nex-"

She froze at once when she felt the sharp blade of a dagger against her neck.

"I'm sure this ship could take in one more person." Ivan simply said as he carefully brought his dagger away from the lady's neck. She trembled slightly and nodded, reaching out to take Dinah's ticket. She thanked the lady as she boarded the ship.

"You didn't have to do that." She whispered to the Shadower as they walked towards the three.

"And you'd rather take the next ship?"

"N-no, but…this is sorta like bribery."

"So, you'd rather take the next ship?"

"What? No!"

"It's not like I care. But we'll only have to wait for you once we reach Ludi."

Dinah went silent for a while and that caused Ivan to turn to look at her. "A-are you okay?" he quickly asked.

"I know you don't care. But you don't have to be so mean about it."

She walked towards Lea and the rest without another word.

* * *

"The ride wasn't as long as it always was." Dinah quietly muttered as they exited the ship. She looked down at the colourful Lego-like floor tiles. She received no reply.

"Ah, Ludibrium. The beautiful town of toys. You grew up here, eh?" Lea gently asked Dinah. She turned around immediately and replied in a soft voice.

"Yesh."

"No wonder you're so cheerful and childish! If you think I'm insulting you, I'm not. It's a good thing. This place is really pretty." Lea smiled and ruffled the Bishop's blue hair. She smiled back, mouthing a silent 'thank you'.

"What are we fighting?" Kyle interrupted eagerly.

"Papulatus."

Dinah raised her eyebrows at the sound of the name. "Really?"

"Yeah, says Athena." Lea shrugged as she walked towards the portal of a huge, toy-like building. "Shall we?"

"It sure is a long way down." Hanson started with one of his million complains. Almost everyone groaned and smacked him or assured him that his predictions were incorrect.

* * *

"I-I'm pretty lost here. There are too many portals and monsters here, I can barely tell where we're heading." Lea scratched her head in confusion. "What do we do?" Ivan asked in a rather demanding voice.

"I've been here before. I can lead the way." Dinah volunteered as the rest agreed. She walked ahead of them, taking the lead.

"For once, you're being useful." Ivan whispered to her as she attempted to kick him.

"You've bossed Papulatus before?" Kyle asked, quite surprised. Dinah shook her head.

"I've tried. That was when I was lower levelled. Around…130, I think. But I failed. That thing practically knocked me unconscious. Luckily, a friend of mine passed by." She explained. Kyle nodded at her explanation.

"Is it hard to defeat?" he added.

"Yeaaaaaa-I'm not sure." Dinah quipped, "Back then, it was. Now, I don't know. Haven't been bossing for quite some time."

"Oh."

They came by some Thanatos on the way. Dinah smiled and looked over her shoulder to face the rest. "Let's warm up here before bossing."

Lea liked the idea. She smirked as she jumped above one of the scary-looking monsters. "Hurricane!" a rain of arrows pierced through the monster as it groaned. The Bowmaster landed on the ground with a soft tap, unharmed. Hanson grinned.

"My partner is so pro."

"I know I am."

They began killing the monsters mercilessly. "Genesis!" Dinah exclaimed as the rest spun around to look at her with raised eyebrows. "Fuck." Ivan muttered as they began scrambling to duck under some platforms and get out of the way. Rays of holy light shone from the sky and killed several monsters easily. The monsters still standing were stunned.

"Next time, tell us before you do that!" Lea stammered as she crawled out of her hiding spot, "You could've killed us all."

The Bishop scratched her head in guilt, squeaking a small "Sorry."

"Okay. I'm totally in the mood of bossing already. Shall we?" Kyle quickly said. In fact, he found killing low-levelled Thanatos boring. _Just skip to the hard part already. _

"Yeah, he's right." Hanson agreed. "I didn't even get the chance to kill one monster!"

"Don't complain." Lea snapped as she walked towards the portal. "And who has the summoning rock? We can't boss without summoning the boss. I mean…does that even make sense?"

Hanson raised his hand. "Me!" he piped up proudly. Lea face-palmed and nodded, "Good."

They went through the portal and found themselves in a vast hall made of stuff-that-looked-like-Lego. There were toy blocks lying everywhere and colourful lamps hanging from the ceiling. In the middle of the hall stood an altar. Dinah was quite attracted with the place.

"Give me the summoning rock, Hanson." Lea commanded as the Corsair scurried over to her to hand her the tiny blue rock with some carvings on it. She walked over to the altar and placed the rock on it. Then, she started chanting.

"I didn't know Lea could speak foreign language." Dinah whispered as Ivan shushed her in annoyance.

Bright golden light shone across the small hall as Lea ran back to where her friends were. "Buff us, Dinah. And be ready to heal us when we are down." The Bishop nodded as she started buffing her friends with various spells.

As the bright light subsided, a blue, seed-looking creature in a clock machine popped up. It didn't look as dangerous as it sounded.

"OMG it's adorable!" Dinah cupped her cheeks as the rest groaned.

"Don't let its cuteness bring you down." Lea reminded as she leapt towards the monster. She summoned her phoenix and Elite Puppet and began firing fire arrows at it. She swiftly dodged the monster's blows and punches as the others looked on.

"She's so cool." Dinah whispered as she watched in awe at her friend. Kyle, who was standing next to her, nodded before hasting off to help the Bowmaster. "Heaven's Hammer!" the Paladin brought his sword that was now shaped like a hammer down to the ground, causing the monster great damage and killing all of its little minions.

The monster, in anger, swiped its hand out at Lea. She was, however, unaware of the attack and was smashed into the colourful wall. Dinah quickly healed her. The pain went away immediately, but the Bowmaster was still exhausted.

A worried Hanson rushed towards his partner. Papulatus' minions were closing up on them. "Hypnotize." He muttered. Dinah widened her eyes when she saw the little minions attacking each other and their boss instead of attacking Lea and Hanson. She snuck a glance at them and Hanson winked. What a handy skill.

The Corsair got up and summoned a few octopuses. He started firing bullets at the monster. Ivan raised his eyebrows at the sight of the harmless-looking octopuses. Their damage were quite high, though.

"Wow, look! The octopuses can fire bullets!" Dinah said in a hoarse whisper as the Shadower nodded. She continuously healed her friends every once in a while. She was carrying out her duty quite responsibly as she healed them before the pain even came.

"I'll go attack!"

"Wait, Dinah!" The Shadower watched as Dinah ran over to attack the monster. Her Holy Arrows caused incredibly high damage. He shook his head. "Bishops."

They managed to destroy the monster's clock machine. Now, they had to destroy the monster itself. "You gotta be kidding me." Kyle sighed in exhaustion.

"This is going to be hard." Lea said as she got up.

"Are you okay already?" Hanson asked the Bowmaster.

"More than fine."

The injured Lea continued attacking the monster. The cute, blue seed-looking creature was casting spells on them, making them not able to jump and stunning them. Dinah shared her all-cure potions with the rest so that they wouldn't be affected by the monster's spells.

"Thanks." The weakened warrior whispered to her as he gulped down the potion. He was immediately free from the spell and he leapt onto the monster in anger, slashing it with his heavy sword.

The monster's lifeline went down fast as they attacked it without stopping, using various skills and sending powerful blows.

"Almost down!" Dinah squealed as she dodged a punch, barely missing her, from the monster. "That was so close. Dang it!"

Lea jumped up and stabbed the dying monster with the sharp tip of her bow. Blood splattered on the floor as the monster moaned. The five closed their ears as its moans were almost deafening. It bled profusely and dropped to the ground. Slowly, it faded away and disappeared.

"OMG WE DID IT!" Hanson skipped around the precious monster drops while whistling. Lea nodded her head.

"Yeah, we did. Now let's distribute these drops among ourselves." She commanded. The rest obeyed and started stuffing their bags with the drops.

Dinah stood aside. She wasn't really interested in the drops and seeing that she didn't do much, she thought she didn't deserve any of them. "Aren't you packing any?" The Shadower asked. "No." she replied softly, "You guys can have them."

He shrugged and walked off, collecting some potions lying on the ground. He grabbed a golden pendant along with the potions. "Here." He pushed it towards the Bishop who was staring into space.

"W-what?" She quickly looked at it.

"No one else here wears something this girly other than you."

"But…"

"It's rude to decline something someone offers you."

Without much argument, she took the pendant. "Thank you."

"Don't thank me. Thank the monster that dropped it."

Dinah looked up as she saw her friends laughing together, their hands full with the drops. Even Ivan was laughing along. She looked back at the pendant in her small hands. She sighed.

"Maybe I just don't fit it."


	6. Chapter 6: Me and You

Chapter 6 – Me and You

It's been three days since they returned to El Nath. They trained hard for the battle against the Black Mage. The day of the invasion was getting closer and that scared the living daylights out of everyone. Even the five of them were afraid inside. Anything could happen.

It was five in the morning. Hanson burst out of his room and trudged happily towards the training hall. He thought he was the earliest to awake and train and he was proud of it. As he walked down the stairs, he saw everyone busy training away.

"Dang it! I thought I was going to be the first to start training!" he whined as he stomped his feet. Lea smirked. "No matter how early you get up, you'll never be as early as ME."

Dinah giggled and went back to bringing down a wooden dummy in front of her with her magic. Kyle had destroyed almost half of the dummies standing in the training hall. The rest watched in awe as he jumped around, slicing the dummies into half with his sharp sword.

Hanson practically blew up some of the dummies there. Lea sighed as she set her bow down. "It's gonna be a boring day." She said as she yawned. "We can't train all day. I feel like going out!"

"Really" Hanson's eyes lit up. He slipped his gun back into its holster. "Me too! Come let's!"

"Seriously, Hanson? Who goes out at five thirty in the morning? Let's wait until seven, shall we?" the Bowmaster raised her eyebrows.

"Sure!"

They continued training. Non-stop until seven. "Phew!" Dinah exclaimed as she sat down on the thick hay on the floor. She gulped down a bottle of blue elixir and started examining her staff. "Gee, I've been training so much, my staff's getting warm!"

"You call this much? You definitely have never trained like this before." Ivan muttered.

"You don't have to comment on everything I say!" the Bishop snapped back.

Lea stuffed her bow into her large equipment bag. "I'm going out now. Have fun training, you all." She gave a small wave as she walked towards the door.

"Wait, I'm coming!" Hanson reminded her as he ran after her. Dinah watched until the both of them disappeared out of sight. She sighed again as she looked up at the Shadower.

"I agree it's boring here. I've got a friend to meet at Kerning City. I'm going to Victoria Island now. Good riddance." He said as he grabbed his bag.

"Can I come?"

"What?"

"Can I go to Kerning with you?"

"What? Of course you can't! You'll just be in the way."

Dinah whined as she stood up as well. "I don't care. I'm going! I'm so bored, I'm going to die!" she grabbed her bag as well to show Ivan 'there's-no-stopping-me-I'm-following-you'. He sighed and shook his head. "Alright. If you really want to. But if you annoy me, I'll just leave you there."

"How about him?" Dinah suddenly asked as she turned around to look at the warrior. He waved his hand.

"Thanks but no thanks. I don't feel like going. You guys have fun." He said.

"Okay. Bye, Kyle!" Dinah waved as she followed Ivan out the door. "Soo…where are we going now?"

"I'm stopping by a potion shop to buy an Orbis Tower scroll. You wouldn't want to climb up the tower, would you?" Ivan snapped.

"Of course I don't!"

In no time, they reached Orbis, thanks to the handy scroll. "So…we're taking the Victoria Island ship?" Dinah asked as she ran to keep up with Ivan's pace. Every step she took was tiring.

"What ship do you think we'll have to take to go to Victoria Island?" he shot her an annoyed look.

"S-sorry." She grumbled.

"Tickets please." The ride attendant said as Ivan handed her a small ticket. "Thank you, Sir. Tickets please." She put out her hand to take Dinah's ticket.

"She's with me." The Shadower quickly said as Dinah was allowed into the ship. It was crowded with people. Mostly pixies from Orbis and some thieves from Magatia. _Low-levelled noobs, _Ivan thought as he eyed the people carefully.

"What are you looking at?" Dinah half-whispered, half-yelled.

"Shush!"

He continued looking around as the bored Dinah ran around the ship, searching for interesting things to keep her occupied. "_Please be seated. The ship will be leaving in a minute's time." _a voice boomed over a hidden loudspeaker. Everyone scrambled to grab a seat.

"Sit down, idiot." Ivan growled as he patted an empty spot on the seat beside him. The Bishop obediently sat down. "How long's the flight?" she asked out of boredom.

"Haven't you been on this ship before?" he asked back in a rather rude manner.

"I have! But I forgot! People can forget sometimes, you know?"

"Sheesh, I think you've got amnesia." He gently pushed her forehead back with his fingers, "It's a 4-hour ride."

"Damn. And was it so hard to just tell me?"

"You're so annoying."

They reached Victoria Island in exactly 4 hours. Ivan exited the ship and walked ahead with no intention of waiting for Dinah. She squeezed herself out of the ship and ran after him. "Don't…leave me…behind…!" she squealed between pants as she grabbed his cape.

"If you don't want to be left behind, walk faster!" he yelled as she let go of his cape.

"Sheesh, it isn't me who is slow! You're walking too fast."

"Well, it's not my problem."

"Ugh, let's just go!"

They walked towards Kerning City, the town of thieves, arguing non-stop. Dinah has never been to Kerning before. Her mother used to forbid her from entering the town and mixing with thieves. She could still remember her mother's advice.

"_Never EVER try to sneak into Kerning City. If the thieves there find out you're a magician, they might…do things to you."_

"_Why?" _

"_Thieves and magicians can never get along. It isn't us who are at fault, though. It is them."_

"_Why don't thieves like magicians?"_

"_I really don't know. But just…don't go there and don't befriend any thieves, okay? They can't be trusted."_

"_Yes, mummy."_

"DINAH!" Ivan shouted as she snapped out of her thoughts.

"W-what?" she stumbled on her own words as she looked up at him. She suddenly realized he was tall. Like…two heads taller than her. Maybe one. Who cares?

"Geez you gotta stop spacing out all the time." he grumbled while sighing, "I was asking you…have you ever been here before?"

"N-no."

"No? Like seriously?"

"Yeah. Seriously, no."

Ivan raised his eyebrows in surprise. _Seriously? _"Okay, then. I'm meeting my friend here." He said, stopping in front of a lighted up bar. It was already evening and people were walking in and out of it.

"A-a bar?" Dinah stammered, slightly shocked. The Shadower raised his eyebrows again.

"Yeah. What's wrong with it?"

"Bars have…bad people and fights and…"

"You think too much. There's really nothing to worry about." Ivan rolled his eyes at Dinah's pathetic-ness.

"For you, maybe."

"Fine. Wait outside if you're too afraid to come in." he pushed open the doors of the bar and walked in. Dinah hesitated for a moment, then ran after him.

"WAIT!"

They squeezed through the crowd in the huge underground bar. Almost everyone there was drunk. They all looked like drug addicts too. That totally creeped Dinah out. She had never been in an environment like this before.

Ivan grabbed her hand and she immediately reacted by jumping up. He snorted as he continued walking ahead. "Just so you won't get lost." Silence.

"I spot him." He told Dinah as he pointed at a green-haired assassin sitting on a bar stool, chugging down a whole glass of what looked like beer. They walked towards him slowly, trying not to ram into people.

Ivan tapped him on the shoulder. The assassin spun around. He looked seriously drunk. His whole face was bright red and he was mumbling some vulgar shit. "ALEX!" Ivan yelled as he shook him hard. "W-what?" the drunk dude replied groggily. Dinah didn't get what was going on.

A few other thieves joined them. They all seemed to know Ivan pretty well. Old friends, probably. "Yo, Ivan." One of them, a redhead, slapped the Shadower hard on the back. "It's been a long time."

"It has, Kevin." Ivan simply muttered as they started laughing. They weren't as drunk as the guy Ivan had called 'Alex'.

"I don't get why you even joined that shitty fight thing." Kevin sighed and shook his head. "You could've declined the Dark Lord's offer and stayed her with us."

Another blue, shoulder-length haired guy nodded in agreement. "Yeah. I wouldn't even give a single fuck about it."

Ivan sighed and turned away slightly. "Why did you call me here?"

Kevin laughed loudly as slapped Ivan's back again, "We have plenty of time tonight for that. Now, tell us your story so far!" the rest of his, probably, cronies started snickering.

"There's no story to be told."

"Ivan, can we go?" Dinah whispered as she tugged on the sleeve of his dark pirate blouse. He looked and shook his head, ever so slightly so that no one would notice.

"Ah, I see you've found a girl!" Kevin laughed even louder, making other drunkards stare at him. He roughly shook the Bishop's hand. That scared her. Ivan quickly pulled Dinah's hand away from his friend's grasp.

"Just tell me why you called me here. We're in a hurry." He growled.

"That no way to treat your buddy, Ivan." Kevin shook his head. "In a hurry? Since when have you been in a hurry? We've got lots of time. Don't worry!

"Yeah, have a seat." The seriously drunk Alex grinned as he pulled Ivan down onto one of the bar stools next to him. Kevin grinned along and gave him a thumbs up.

"That's the spirit!" the redhead praised. He looked over his shoulder at Dinah and eyed her for some time.

"Stop it. Just…what do you want? Is it anything important?" Ivan snapped, making Kevin turn back to face him. He nodded.

"Pfft. I really don't get why you're so desperate to leave." Kevin quipped. He looked at Dinah again. This time, he noticed the head of her staff poking out of her bag.

"Your girlfriend…she's a magician?" he suddenly asked darkly. Dinah stumbled back a little. Her mother's words played in her head again.

"_Never EVER try to sneak into Kerning City. If the thieves there find out you're a magician, they might…do things to you."_

_Do things to me? _Dinah stammered. "I-I…"

"She's a Bishop, isn't she?" Kevin growled. His sudden change of attitude was surprisingly freaky and Ivan slightly widened his eyes. Finally, he opened his mouth.

"How'd you know?"

"What type of magicians use staffs? Only Battle Mages and Bishops. And she definitely doesn't look like the Battle Mage type." He explained. His explanation had a rather evil tone in it. "She looks too soft and innocent."

Ivan watched as Kevin walked closer towards Dinah. She stood there, frozen, embarrassed to make any sudden movements. He smirked, seeing her fear. He slowly ran his hands over her bare arms, making her pull back in shock.

Ivan got up from his seat and pulled Kevin away from the Bishop. "I've had enough for today." He quickly grabbed Dinah by the shoulders and pushed her away. Kevin, in disappointment, shouted at them as they walked away.

"You're just jealous I was messing with your girlfriend!"

The Shadower ignored his friend's yells and insults. He was probably too drunk to realize he was doing such embarrassing things. "Just…ignore him." He muttered to Dinah. She nodded obediently. They walked out of the crowded bar.

Dinah was heaved a sigh of relief after they exited the scary, wild place. "Where do we go now?" she asked and looked around her. It was already dark.

"Back to El Nath before Lea else sends out a rescue team to look for us. You know how super concerned she is."

"Okay."

They walked along the deserted streets. "Why aren't there anyone here?" Dinah asked again.

"This is Kerning City. If you want to stay safe, don't come out after 8."

"Oh…you mean…we're NOT safe?"

Ivan chuckled. "What's there to worry? I'm here."

"The portal's right across that alley! Let's use it as a shortcut." Dinah pointed at a portal at the far end of a dark alley. Ivan shrugged and agreed. They took a few steps when the Shadower abruptly stopped.

Dinah stopped as well, surprised. She could see Ivan's golden hair swaying as the wind blew. "There's someone…" he mumbled. "Duck!"

He pushed Dinah onto the ground and ducked as well. Three steelies embedded themselves into the wall behind them. "W-what was that?" the Bishop stammered, wielding her staff out of her bag with shaky hands.

"Stay alert and be careful." Ivan whispered. He glanced around him. There was nothing. Only darkness. A creepy laugh echoed through the alley as Dinah clutched onto Ivan's blouse. "I-it's alright." He said, trying to make the Bishop shut up so that he could concentrate.

"How wise of you two to come walking into a dark alley this time of the day." The voice said. Dinah could make out the figure of the person who owned that voice. He was walking towards them. As he got closer, she could see there was a black patch covering his right eye. He had two kataras in his hands. He looked dangerous.

"Ah, what a pretty lady you've got there. I must be lucky today." He continued as Ivan and Dinah backed away.

"If you lay a finger on her, I will kill you." The Shadower warned as he flipped out his dagger, wielding it to show the thief that he wasn't afraid to use it. The thief merely laughed.

"I see." He charged towards Ivan as fast as the wind and slashed his kataras wildly. Ivan dodged his attacks and attempted to stab him with his dagger. The thief was quick. He swiftly hopped onto a garbage bin, safe from Ivan's dagger.

Without warning, he flung two steelies at the Shadower. Ivan was too slow to react and the steelies stabbed his upper right arm. He let out a faint cry. Dinah gasped and quickly healed him. She shot some holy arrows at the thief but he just laughed and dodged them easily.

He quickly tackled Dinah to the ground, kicking her staff away from her reach. Ivan got up and tried to stab him again. This time, he wasn't swift enough and the dagger was buried into his back. He smirked as he spun around, slashing Ivan's side with his katara.

The Shadower staggered back, holding onto his side in pain. The thief was wounded as well. "I've had my fun for today. You people are quite tought." He said. And with that, he disappeared. Ivan limped over to Dinah. She had her left arm wounded and her staff was chipped.

"Are you okay?" she whispered. It almost seemed like she had lost her voice due to shock.

"Yeah." Ivan simply muttered, still holding on to his side. Dinah suddenly started sobbing. She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.

"T-this isn't the time!" Ivan yelled and it made her sob even harder. "Heal me."

She healed him between sobs. The pain quickly went away and the wound on his side was stitched up neatly.

"I-I'm never coming h-here again." She shook her head as tears rolled down her cheeks. "I'm never following you h-here again." She attempted to wipe her eyes again when Ivan quickly hugged her.

"We won't come here again." He mumbled. He could feel her tears seeping through his shirt as he rested his chin on her head. "We should go now. The last ride's at 12." He said, quickly pulling away.

"O-okay." Dinah squeaked as she followed him through the portal.

Somewhere on the rooftop of a rundown building in Kerning City…

"We've found them."


	7. Chapter 7: The Bishop's Past

Chapter 7 – The Bishop's Past

Dinah lay on her bed as she stared up at the ceiling of the room. It was 3 in the morning and she was having trouble sleeping. She thought back about what happened earlier that night. She had followed Ivan all the way to Kerning City in Victoria Island where they had been attacked.

She glanced down at the wound on her arm, which was now wrapped neatly with a clean bandage. Lea had helped treat her wound when they got back to El Nath. They also received an earful of nagging from the worried sick Bowmaster when she found out they'd been out so late.

They only got back here at 1 in the morning. The whole town was already asleep, except for Lea. She had been pacing back and forth in the training hall, wondering where the two were. Dinah had apologized to her a million times just so to get rid of the guilt.

"Sigh, can't sleep…" the Bishop mumbled to herself as she buried her face into her soft pillow. She was feeling miserable and grumpy at the same time. Her late mother suddenly appeared in her mind.

Her mother used to read her bedtime stories or cuddle with her when she had sleeping difficulties. She rolled around in her bed. "Mother…" A single teardrop rolled down her cheek. She missed her parents so badly. If they had never joined the war, they would've still been here with her.

She went back to the time when the world was still happy and peaceful. When forests were still green and monsters were still friendly. When her loved ones were still around her. She was seven years old.

* * *

"_Mother! Mother!" I yelled as I ran into the tiny cottage in Ellinia that me and my family lived in. My mother, a powerful level 200 Battle Mage, was cooking something that smelled just delicious in the kitchen. _

"_What is it, love?" she asked gently as I ran up to hug her. She was wearing a knee-length gown that looked really pretty on her and an apron to go with. She stirred what seemed like a soup in a pot with the ladle in her hands._

"_When are we having dinner? I'm hungry!" I whined as my stomach growled. My mother just laughed and patted my head. _

"_Very soon, dear. Once I'm done with the soup. Go set the dining table now." _

"_Okay!" _

_I ran off to obediently set the table. When I was done, I went back to my mother. "I'm done!" I smiled cheerily as she smiled back. "Good girl." _

_At that moment, the tiny cottage door creaked open and my dad walked in. "Father!" I greeted as I hugged him. He had slung his Marx Von Leon spear over his shoulder. He gave me a warm smile. _

"_How was your day, Father?" I asked._

_My father, a level 200 Dragon Knight, one of the strongest warriors in Maple World, replied, "I had a great day! How about you? I see you've been helping your mother out a lot. Give me a five!" _

_I happily gave him a high-five. "Welcome home, dear." I heard my mother shout from the kitchen, "Dinner's going to be ready soon. How about take Dinah out to train a little bit?" _

_My eyes widened in excitement when I heard the word 'train'. I loved training with my father! He made such a good instructor. Of course, that wasn't surprising as he was one of the most powerful warriors of all time. _

"_Let's go, Dinah! We'll come back once dinner's ready." He winked as he put out his hand. I reluctantly grabbed it and we strode out of our small mushroom cottage. My father set his bag down next to a shady oak tree in the garden outside our home. _

_That was our usual training spot. "Okay, Dinah. Did you bring your staff?" he asked. "Yes!" I quickly said as I dragged my heavy wooden staff out of my bag. I found it hard to lift the heavy staff with my small body. I was a level 10 magician then._

"_Good! Now let's try…" My father droned on and on as I followed his instructions. I had always wanted to be the greatest Bishop ever when I grew up. Or maybe, if I couldn't, at least a Priestess. I had trained hard to become…what I wanted to become. _

* * *

Dinah sat up in her bed and grabbed her Timeless Aeas staff that was lying on the floor right beside her bed. "Now, I am MORE than what I wanted to be…" she whispered softly as she gripped the staff tighter, "I'm a level 155 Bishop, Mother and Father. Why aren't you here to celebrate with me?"

* * *

"_Dinner's ready, you all!" My mother yelled from an open cottage window. _

"_We'll be right there!" My father replied, smiling. "Come on, Dinah. You must be really hungry. Let's pack up and go back." _

_I quickly stuffed my staff into my bag and strapped it across my body. "Done."_

"_Such an efficient girl." He praised as we walked back home together. As soon as I stepped into the house, the wonderful aroma of my mother's cooking delighted my nose. "Smells good!" I giggled as she walked out of the kitchen, carrying a small pot of soup in her gloved hands. _

"_Let's hope it tastes good too." She chuckled as she set the warm pot of soup onto the dining table. "Come on, let's eat." She slipped her hands out of the kitchen mittens and sat down on a chair. I grabbed a seat next to her and sat down as well. _

_My father sat down on a chair right across the table. We said a silent prayer before digging into the scrumptious food. "So…what do you want to be when you grow up?" My mother suddenly asked me. I immediately stopped eating and proudly announced that I wanted to be a Bishop._

_My mother looked a little bit shocked. I wondered what was wrong. "Oh…that's…good." She quietly said as my father just nodded his head. _

"_What's wrong, Mother?" I asked her. "Are you okay?"_

"_Yes, I'm fine." She said. After a long one-minute pause, she blurted. "I don't want to let your hopes down or anything, Dinah, but being a Bishop…is really tough."_

"_I know…" I said._

"_Only a few people in the WORLD have succeeded in becoming Bishops. Most of them found it too hard and they just stopped at their 3__rd__ job. Only 5 people in the world have passed their 4__th__ job." She continued._

"_R-really?" I stammered. I knew she didn't mean to, but she was really putting my hopes down. But I still wanted to be a Bishop. There was no changing my mind. _

"_Yes, your mother's right, Dinah." My father said. I turned to look at him. "Why not become a Battle Mage like your mother? Or a Dragon Knight like me? And there are many other interesting jobs to choose from. You could be a Paladin, a Mechanic, a Corsair, a Crossbow Master…"_

_I sighed. I knew that they would never understand me. I wanted to become a Bishop so that I could heal sick innocent people and resurrect the loved ones of others. I wanted everyone to live happily without worrying about getting ill or dying. _

"_How about a thief?" I mumbled not so enthusiastically, as I dropped my spoon onto my plate. I didn't even feel like eating anymore. My parents gasped in utter horror. I looked up and widened my eyes. _

"_What? Did I say something wrong?" I cried out and quickly apologized. I was afraid. My mother just shook her head and opened her mouth like a fish. Nothing came out of it except for silence._

_My father spoke out for her, as if he knew what she was thinking. "You see, Dinah, magicians and thieves can never get along. Thieves have hated magicians since the beginning of time. And…your mother is a magician and I don't think she's very pleased to be speaking about such a topic." _

"_Thieves hate magicians? Really? Then explain the Legendary Phantom Thief and Dragonmaster Evan. They were great friends." I piped up. _

"_That…is different." My father whispered as he ruffled his raven black hair. I could see he wore a sad look on his face, so did my mother. I decided to change the topic._

"_Okay. So…what are we going to do tomorrow?" I quickly asked cheerily. What a weird way to change a topic, but it worked. My mother got her voice back immediately and started listing out the fun things that we could do. _

_Little did I know that 'tomorrow' would be the day I dread the most…_

_I woke up early the next morning to the sound of a loud explosion. It was so loud, it was almost as if something exploded right outside my window. I rubbed my eyes as I sat up in my bed. I looked out, only to see smoke rising into the air at a distance. _

_I was wide awake by then and I ran downstairs, screaming. "MOTHER! FATHER!" I shrieked as I burst into their room. They weren't in there and that made me panic even more. I ran towards the front door and out into our garden. I saw my parents, fully equipped, standing outside._

"_Mother! Father!" My shouts made them turn around. My mother bent down to hug me as I ran towards her. "What's going on?" I stammered. I knew something was terribly wrong._

"_Oh…uhmm…." She struggled to find the right words to say to me. My father nudged her, silently telling her to tell me the truth. _

"_There's an invasion going on right this minute…" she sighed as she picked me up in her arms. "We need to gather the strongest people in Victoria Island to fight against the Black Mage and his monsters for the sake of our peace." _

"_R-right." I trembled. "W-we still have enough time to escape the chaos and take a ship to Ossyria. We'll be safe there." _

"_I'm afraid we can't…" my father whispered, loud enough for me to hear. "But you can."_

"_Well, why can't you all?" I yelled at him. Tears were welling up in my eyes. _

_Without hesitating, my parents ran towards the Victoria Island station at the Six Path Crossway, killing monsters on the way. "PUT ME DOWN!" I screamed as I kicked hysterically. My mother paid no attention and held on to me tightly in her arms. _

_We reached the station of the ship to Orbis. There were people yelling and squeezing into the already full ship. It was so chaotic, it was almost like a stampede. My parents quickly walked towards a mysterious hooded man and passed me to him. _

"_Bring my daughter to Orbis safely, I beg of you." I heard my mother say. The man nodded._

"_What? Aren't you coming? Where are you all going? Why are you leaving me?" I cried. _

_The man and my parents paid no attention to me. He quickly carried me into the ship. I screamed and cried. The ship began to move away from the station. "MOTHER! FATHER!" I shrieked as I saw them standing hand-in-hand at the station. _

_That was the last I ever saw of them…_

* * *

_A year later…_

'_I am now eight years old and I am a level 35 Cleric.'_

_I sat at a table in a house in Ludibrium. I was already familiar with the mysterious man who brought me here and I knew him as 'Griffin'. He was a very kind, caring person indeed. He was around his 50s and he acted as if he were my father._

_I had also loved him like my father. I thought about my parents. A million questions welled up in my head. Were they going to come here to meet me? Was the war over? What's taking them so long?_

"_There's a letter for you, Dinah." Griffin said as he walked towards the table I was sitting at. I took the letter from his hands._

"_Thank you, Griffin." I ripped the envelope open and unfolded the small note inside it. I carefully read it. I was filled with horror. I...I never thought this would happen…not ever in my life. I clutched my chest in pain and I started crying. Why? Why did this happen? Why are they so cruel to do something like this to me? _

'_Dear Dinah,_

_We're truly sorry about what we did to you back then. It wasn't because we didn't care about you and wanted to part with you. We sent you somewhere far away from Victoria Island with Griffin for your own safety. We hope you are having a happy life there with no worries or sadness. _

_We also hope that the invasion is over by now and the citizens of Victoria Island can finally return to their homes. We fought a tough battle. If you are reading this letter right now, it means we are no longer with you. However, we will always be watching over you from above. Please train hard to become a high levelled Bishop._

_Love,  
Mother and Father.'_

_I rubbed my eyes, hoping that what I have just read was a mistake. Maybe it wasn't meant for me. How? How is this possible? I-I wasn't ready for this…_

_Griffin walked over to me and gave me a protective hug. He took the blood-stained letter from my hands and crumpled it. "This will only bring you down." He mumbled. I shook my head, weeping._

"_From today onwards, you're starting anew." _

_I looked at him. It was going to be impossible to forget what I just read. However, he was also right. I SHOULD start anew. I nodded and hugged him back. _

"_Thanks Griffin…"_

* * *

Dinah immediately woke up, screaming. Sweat trickled down her forehead to her neck. Ivan, who was sitting next to her, quickly dabbed her face with a towel. She looked at him, confused, and cocked her head a little to the side.

"I-Ivan? What are you doing here?"

"You were yelling and screaming throughout the whole night. You were disturbing everyone. I decided to come here to shut you up." He muttered. Dinah glared at him.

"Well, did you succeed?"

"No I didn't. You were so loud, I think the whole El Nath knows you had a nightmare!" the Shadower said gruffly.

"Hmph…you can go now. Tell everyone else I'm sorry." The Bishop shook her head and wiped the sweat off her eyes. Lea suddenly barged into her room before Ivan could leave.

"Dinah! Are you okay? We heard you screaming last night and I was worried sick about you!" Lea stammered as she ran towards the shaking Bishop and hugged her, despite all her sweat and tears. Dinah shot her an assuring smile.

"I'm okay, don't worry. Sorry for keeping you all up."

"No need to be sorry." The Bowmaster giggled as she sat down on the bed. "Hanson bought breakfast. Shall we go downstairs?"

"But I…"

"Oh, come on!" Lea cried out and ruffled the Bishop's hair. "Just come!"

Dinah smiled. "Okay."

It's time. Time to forget the past, live through the present and await the future.


End file.
